Making sure grads are ready for college

As has been the case for decades, there are more career opportunities for those with college degrees than those without. The Great Recession of 2007-09 proved that point. While the unemployment rate for those without university degrees soared into the double digits, it remained below 5 percent — full employment — for those with a college education, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

A college education offers more than the promise of higher lifetime earnings. It offers economic security. The U.S. is now an information-based society, no longer focused on manufacturing, and those with the ability to digest information efficiently and create meaning from it will thrive. IBM no longer builds computers. It designs computer systems that run cities.

The question is, are our children being properly prepared for the academic rigors of college in elementary, middle and high school? According to the New York State Department of Education, the answer in too many cases is no.

While 88 percent of Nassau County high school seniors graduated in 2010, only 56 percent earned an advanced Regents diploma, a critical marker for college readiness. In a number of school districts, only 30 to 40 percent of students received advanced diplomas, and in a handful of districts, less than 5 percent did so. Why?

Are teachers and administrators in the highest-performing districts –– those with more than 65 percent of graduates earning advanced diplomas –– superior to those in lower-performing districts? We don’t think so. There are great educators in both excellent and failing districts.

According to the education department’s numbers, the key factor in predicting a district’s success in producing college-ready graduates is its wealth. Quite simply, richer districts have greater financial resources to pump into their programs, meaning they can keep teacher-to-student ratios low and make sure there are plenty of before- and after-school help sessions for students who need them. In the wealthiest districts, parents can afford private tutors to supplement the top-notch education their children are already receiving in school.